Johns Creek is helping fuel a 71% jump in multifamily housing permits across Fulton County, according to new population estimates the Atlanta Regional Commission released Wednesday, Aug. 12.

The ARC report shows Fulton County, excluding the City of Atlanta, issued 2,255 multifamily permits in 2025, up from 1,322 in 2024. The commission named Johns Creek, Sandy Springs, Union City and College Park as the cities where much of that activity occurred.

The permit boom comes as the 11-county Atlanta region added 53,690 residents between April 2025 and April 2026, pushing the metro population to 5,339,164. Fulton County led all 11 counties in growth rate at 1.9%.

But the broader picture is more complicated. Regionwide, total residential permits actually fell 18.5% year over year to 24,015 in 2025, and the overall growth rate slowed to 1.0%, down from 1.2% the prior year. The ARC flagged housing supply constraints as a key factor: "Housing supply remains low, keeping prices elevated — placing a brake on population growth, especially domestic migration."

Ann Carpenter, the ARC's chief research and innovation officer, said the annual estimates give local leaders a data-informed foundation to plan for infrastructure, housing and services as growth patterns shift.

What it looks like on the ground

The numbers align with what Johns Creek residents can already see taking shape along McGinnis Ferry Road. Medley, the $560 million, 43-acre mixed-use development led by Mark Toro's Toro Development Company, is scheduled to open Oct. 29. Pre-leasing for Prelude at Medley, the project's first phase of luxury apartments, began in early August, with first move-ins expected Nov. 1.

At full buildout, Medley will include 881 residences, 145,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, a 150-key boutique hotel, 110,000 square feet of office space and a 25,000-square-foot public plaza. Its second phase, Encore, broke ground in April and is expected to open in 2027.

The city's growth pressure extends beyond Medley. The Fulton County Board of Assessors' 2025 annual report recorded 541 commercial building permits in Johns Creek and pegged the city's total market value at $22.2 billion. Developer Toll Brothers proposed Embry Farms in August 2025, a 189-home luxury subdivision in east Johns Creek with homes priced between $1.5 million and $2 million. The project's zoning status remains unresolved.

Mayor John Bradberry signaled the city's awareness of the land squeeze in late July, when the council approved an $8.58 million purchase of lakefront property near The Boardwalk at Town Center. "The needs of the community are only going to continue to grow," Bradberry said at the July 24 council meeting. "It's short-sighted for us not to always be looking toward the future while there is still land available because land is disappearing."

What's next

The ARC report does not break out a permit count specific to Johns Creek alone, so the precise scale of the city's share remains unclear. But with Medley's opening weeks away and the T-SPLOST extension heading to Fulton County voters in November, residents will soon weigh both the benefits and infrastructure costs of continued growth.